The Vickers VC10 is a mid-sized, narrow-body long-range British jet airliner designed and built by Vickers-Armstrongs (Aircraft) Ltd and first flown at Brooklands, Surrey, in 1962. The airliner was designed to operate on long-distance routes from the shorter runways of the era and commanded excellent hot and high performance for operations from African airports. The performance of the VC10 was such that it achieved the fastest crossing of the Atlantic by a subsonic jet airliner of 5 hours and 1 minute, a record that was held for 41 years, until February 2020 when a British Airways Boeing 747 broke the record at 4 hours 56 minutes due to Storm Ciara. Only the supersonic Concorde was faster. The VC10 is often compared to the larger Soviet Ilyushin Il-62, the two types being the only airliners to use a rear-engined quad layout. The smaller business jet Lockheed JetStar also has this engine arrangement.
| Role | Narrow-body jet airliner and aerial refueling tanker |
|---|---|
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Vickers-Armstrongs |
| First flight | 29 June 1962 |
| Introduction | BOAC, 29 April 1964 |
| Retired | Royal Air Force, 20 September 2013 |
| Status | Retired |
| Primary users | BOAC East African Airways Ghana Airways Royal Air Force |
| Produced | 1962–1970 |
| Number built | 54 |
Specifications (Type 1101)
General characteristics
- Crew: 4 + 3 flight attendants
- Capacity: 151 passengers
- Length: 158 ft 8 in (48.36 m)
- Wingspan: 146 ft 2 in (44.55 m)
- Height: 39 ft 6 in (12.04 m)
- Wing area: 2,851 sq ft (264.9 m2)
- Empty weight: 139,505 lb (63,278 kg)
- Max takeoff weight: 334,878 lb (151,898 kg)
- Fuel capacity: 17,925 imp gal (21,527 US gal; 81,490 L)
- Powerplant: 4 × Rolls-Royce Conway Mk 301 turbofans, 22,500 lbf (100 kN) thrust each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 580 mph (930 km/h, 500 kn)
- Cruise speed: 550 mph (890 km/h, 480 kn) at 38,000 ft (12,000 m) (econ cruise)
- Range: 5,850 mi (9,410 km, 5,080 nmi)
- Service ceiling: 43,000 ft (13,000 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,920 ft/min (9.8 m/s)
- Takeoff distance to 35 ft (11 m): 8,280 ft (2,520 m)
- Landing distance from 50 ft (15 m): 6,380 ft (1,940 m)
Photos Rob Vogelaar
